Tag Archives: conditions

Yesterday was a major victory for patients suffering from a variety of serious diseases in Michigan. People who couldn’t qualify to use marijuana legally either risked prosecution or continued to use less effective pharmecutical drugs. The existing list before the change took effect only included eight conditions. They more than doubled that list by adding 10 new qualifying conditions that a physician can legally recommend marijuana for. The old list included cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Chron’s disease, Alzheimer’s, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Now protection will be expanded to those suffering from arthritis, autism, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, Tourette’s syndrome, and colitis. I would expect to see an explosion in the number of registered patients in my state as a result of this change. The number of people who have one of these new conditions is enormous, but many will not take advantage of the expanded coverage.

I think that the most noticeable difference will be an increase in the amount of elderly medical marijuana users. One of the key conditions that now qualifies is arthritis. This disease is more common among the older generation and its addition to the list will likely attract some senior citizens. I also believe that with the success of marijuana legalization across the country and in Canada, more people will be questioning their negative attitude surrounding the plant. When I have visited local dispensaries rarely did I see anyone over the age of 65 in there. However, this is likely because they have registered caregivers that grow or acquire their medicine for them so they don’t have to travel. This age group is generally known for their opposition to drugs that have been illegal their entire lives. Those facing old age are the ones who need cannabis the most and hopefully, these new conditions will lead more elderly patients to try alternative medicine.

There seems to only be positive results when more conditions are allowed to be treated using marijuana. If I were to write the law it wouldn’t be a list of qualifying conditions, but rather discretion would be given to physicians. They should be able to recommend marijuana whenever they feel it could positively benefit their patient. Leaving it up to the government to decide what conditions should qualify doesn’t make sense. Doctors are the ones who have the most knowledge regarding the side effects of diseases and are familiar with each patient’s unique scenario. Either way, there will be a noticeable growth in the economy of medical marijuana businesses in order to meet the demand of more registered patients. More jobs are going to come to the state if recreational marijuana passes in November and now we don’t need to wait until then. Dispensaries and cultivation facilities will need additional help and more new facilities will probably start springing up as well.

Compared to other states medical marijuana programs, Michigan is definitely blessed. Looking at Ohio cities banning home cultivation or other states like Texas only allowing CBD oil for seizures makes our laws feel relaxed. We pretty much lie right in the middle of the spectrum of marijuana enforcement. There are lots of dispensaries to shop from across the state but only in large cities like Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, and a few others. For people who live far away from these areas, their selection is limited to the black market or what they themselves can grow. At least these patients are still being provided protection from the law despite accessibility issues. Ten years down the line I envision Michigan’s marijuana industry to be developed like the west coast currently is. We are just a little behind the marijuana pioneers but still on the right track.